Schumer delivers the inaugural Robert J. Milano lecture at The New School. He discusses how the Democratic Party can succeed once again in 2008 - and remain victorious for years to come - by standing up for the values and ideals that have resonated with moderate Americans since The New Deal. He outlines his strategy for gaining ground in key policy domains like healthcare, education, and national security that matter most to voters and often determine the electability of candidates.

Senator Charles Schumer

Chuck Schumer was elected to the New York State Assembly at age 23â€”making him one of the youngest members since Theodore Roosevelt. Six years later he was elected to Congress at the age of 29.
In his eighteen-year career in the House of Representatives, he accumulated an impressive slew of accomplishments, from the Brady Bill and assault weapons ban to the Violence Against Women Act and the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act, from the Omnibus Crime Bill, which is the law that put 100,000 cops on the beat, to credit card and other consumer protection laws.
For the 2006 election cycle, Chuck was the senator in charge of the Democratic Senate Campaign Committee (DSCC), the organization responsible for electing Democrats to that chamber; he has been widely recognized for crafting the successful strategy to win the majority for the Democratic Party.
In the newly formed 110th Congress, Chuck will again be in charge of the DSCC and, in his new role of vice chairman of the Caucus, is now the third-ranking Democrat in the Senate.